Al-Ittihad forward Karim Benzema has expressed his delight after helping his side secure a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the King’s Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday night.
Despite playing much of the match with ten men, Al-Ittihad held firm to claim a memorable win in what was one of the most anticipated fixtures of the competition.
Benzema opened the scoring in the 15th minute, calmly slotting home to give Al-Ittihad an early lead. Al Nassr responded through Angelo Gabriel, who equalised just after the half-hour mark. But Hossam Aouar restored Al-Ittihad’s advantage with a well-taken strike in first-half stoppage time — a lead the Jeddah side managed to defend resolutely until the final whistle.
Despite the attacking trio of Joao Felix, Sadio Mané, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Nassr struggled to break through Al-Ittihad’s organised defence in the second half.
After the match, Benzema took to social media, posting a photo of himself celebrating his goal with the caption:
“Big win tonight… Important for the team and our fans. When we talk, we do.”
Speaking to reporters afterward, the former Real Madrid star praised his team’s resilience and tactical discipline:
“It was not easy to win here because Al Nassr did great today, but from the first minute, we showed we wanted to win this game. We did exactly what the coach said before, and we are happy because we showed it’s still here.”
